Footwear designers Antonio Berardi and Marc Jacobs are selling these soaring “heel-less heels” in their prêt-a porter collections. These styles weren’t just created for catwalk appeal; they’re actually selling them at a retail level. Apparently fashionistas are champing at the bit to buy them. I’m not one of those fashionistas and I can think of a million other ways to spend $3700. I can’t imagine what it’s like walking in these ridiculous shoes. Much like tiptoeing on stilts perhaps. They’re bad for your feet, back and posture and they don’t even look nice. Am I alone?

Heel-less heels from Marc Jacobs.

You may have noticed the “Bloggers Choice Awards” icon on the right hand side of our blog. We have submitted YLF for consideration. Unfortunately there isn’t a fashion or style category, so we are in the category “Best Blog About Stuff”. We’d appreciate your support if you feel that YLF is worthy of consideration. You have until the end of the year to form an opinion and cast your vote. For those of you that do vote for YLF, we thank you in advance!

I suffer from dry skin, especially around my nose, chin and cheek area. Winter’s harsh dry air and central heating left me feeling under-hydrated, no matter what I applied. I tried everything my esthetician suggested. I even tried good old Vaseline. I was this close to bathing in olive oil.

Then it dawned on me that my late Mum had the same problem and she used “Eight Hour Cream” from Australian cosmetic house Elizabeth Arden. I bought some and started applying it liberally to my nose, chin and cheeks twice a day with my moisturizer. Voila! The positive effect was noticeable almost immediately. I also apply the cream to my chapped lips because nothing else works.

Eight Hour Cream seems to sooth minor skin irritations and any part of your skin that is peeling and flaking. I have very sensitive skin and normally can’t put anything on my face, so I’m relieved to have found a gentle, effective and affordable solution. A tube costs $17 and lasts forever because a little goes along way. I can’t wait to tell my esthetician how clever my Mother was.

Dry cuticles, ashy elbows and knees, dry heels and scraped knuckles are all in a day’s work for Arden’s Eight Hour Cream. It’s fabulous.

I talk about the trench coat at the beginning of every season because it is a crucial part of any wardrobe. It is an ideal lightweight coat for a four-seasons-climate, and the only coat you’ll need for warmer regions. A fab trench pulls together most outfits and can be dressed up or down: styled up a notch with dark denims or slacks and dressy shoes; or casual with jeans and fashion sneakers. The trench cuts across all lifestyles, age groups and body types and it’s a question of finding the style that works best for you.

Some things to remember as you search for that perfect trench…

• Trench coats don’t need to have a strict, dressy and classic appearance like the traditional Burberry style. They can be playful and casual. The voluminous trend has given rise to the unbelted A-line and cocoon shaped trench which can be equally chic.
• Spring trenches are often lighter in weight, brighter in colour and shorter in the sleeve than the styles we see in Autumn. You can get away with having one trench for year round use if you choose your style wisely.
• Make sure that you purchase a trench that works for your lifestyle. Keep the fabric and look casual if your life is casual. Select a dressier style if you dress smart casually or business casually daily. It is easier to dress a smarter trench style down than it is to dress a casual trench style up.

I have a black, fully lined, machine washable, stretch sateen single-breasted trench coat that ends just above my knee. I’ve had it for years and it’s the most versatile item in my wardrobe. I wear it casually with jeans and Converse, or smart casually over a dressy top, dark denims and heels. It’s perfect with my slacks on business casual days and takes me straight to a cocktail party at night over a short formal dress. It cost a pretty penny at the time, but the investment has proved its return a hundred times over. I cannot imagine my wardrobe functioning without the perfect trench.

An assortment of casual (top left), smart casual and dressy trenches (bottom right). My Spring trench needs replacing and I have my eye on the white Soia and Kyo style (center bottom row).

The superbowl of the entertainment industry was full of strapless and asymmetrical frocks, metallic accessories and old-Hollywood styled hair. I expected silver and gold dresses to shine through, but to my surprise tomato red, black and ink blue were the colours of the night.

My favourite dresses:

• Marion Cotillard was magnificent in an eccentric mermaid creation by Jean Paul Gaultier. It was a bold red carpet risk and it worked beautifully. Her eclectic long necklaces complemented her dress and her asymmetrical hairstyle was pure perfection. An ideal mixture of modern and retro Hollywood glamour and I loved it.
• Katherine Heigl was gorgeous in a fiery red, single-shoulder strapped dress. Her short curly hairdo was refreshing among the multitudes of cascading locks.

Other great looks:

• Amy Adams was pretty in a classic and safe strapless deep green gown. Her red ringlets and gold accessories made the outfit and I loved the contrast that was created against her dark green dress.
• Nicole Kidman was flawless at five months pregnant. She gets my vote for best necklace of the night.
• Cate Blanchett is usually my red carpet favourite, but I can’t say that this year’s Oscar dress was her best. That said, she did look radiant and ultra stylish at 7 months pregnant in a deep purple, bejeweled, halter-neck gown.
• Miley Cyrus represented young Hollywood in the best way. Her look was classy and age appropriate. Her earrings were fabulous and the bow at the back of her dress was suitably playful.
• Jennifer Garner, Penelope Cruz and Hillary Swank looked lovely in their strapless and off-the-shoulder black frocks. Nothing too exciting, but Oscar worthy all the same.

George Clooney wore his tux best and gets my vote for best hair of the night.

What were your favourite frocks?

Follow these thumbnails to see some of my favourites at InStyle and E! Online.

I have several favourite fashion eras but my absolute favourite is fashion from the late ‘50’s to mid ‘60’s. Think Grace Kelly in “Rear Window”, Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, Jackie O, Twiggy and Edie Sedgwick. Fashion at this time was the perfect mixture of dressy lady-like silhouettes and funky pop art inspired designs. I could have happily lived as an adult in this fashion era, although I’m sure I’d miss my straight leg jeans.

I also love the glamour and drama that prevailed during the ‘40’s and the crazy disco vibe that ruled the late ‘70’s. The roaring ‘20s had its flapper appeal, and even though the ‘80’s is regarded as ”the decade of anti-fashion”, it had it’s absurd appeal. I was an impressionable teeny bopper then. I thought I looked fabulous in my bad taste creations and teased hair, which is why I have to include the era among my favourites. (Read more ‘80’s confessions on YLF forum).

Fashion in the ‘30’s, late 60’s to early 70’s, and ‘90’s leaves me cold. The Second World War had a realistically somber impact on fashion and I’m not a hippy at heart. And the ‘90’s was a confused era of ‘80’s remnants, grunge, hip hop mania and minimalistic millennium madness. But I’ll commend the decade for bringing back the natural female hourglass silhouette and ridding us of rugby player shoulder pads.

We’re in the first decade of the 21st century and I wonder how the current fashion era will be remembered. Today’s fashion is much like a modern melting pot of 20th century fashion and that’s unique in itself. I find myself excited as each new season unfolds. Which are your favourite fashion eras? How do you feel about the era we live in right now?

Work and family visits take me to Europe frequently and I enjoy observing fashion across the continents. Trends are generally the same, but cultural and regional preferences do create important differences. For example, skirts were big in London last Autumn but virtually non-existent in America. Instead, dresses were the “it” item over here.

Spring 2008 was officially launched in Euro stores this month, which made the timing perfect for my visit to Spain last week. Spanish-based fashion retail stores offer an excellent overview of European fashion trends. Here is a summary of what the new season brought to Barcelona last week.

Colours:

• Brights - tomato red, watermelon coral, citrus yellow, kelly green, lipstick pink, mandarin orange and cobalt blue
• Pastels – antique pink
• Neutrals – army green, mushroom brown, warm tan, ink blue, cream, white and black

Patterns:

• Florals both large, small, monochromatic and brightly coloured
• Black and cream gingham
• Earth toned tribal designs

Fabrics:

• Leather
• Metallic silver and gold man made and natural fibre blends
• Creased futuristic polyester blends
• Linen
• Silk
• Rayon and cotton blends
• Denim
• Cracked patent

Silhouettes:

• Skinnies were by far the most popular silhouette for casual pants. Leg openings for skinnies ranged from extremely tapered to straight. Fashion critics who predicted that skinnies would be gone in one season were so wrong. We are going into our fifth season for this style and it has become a mainstream basic. You can’t wear a voluminous tunic with anything else and nothing tucks into boots quite as well as a pair of skinny pants.
• Bootcuts were the order of the day for pants that weren’t skinny and many of them higher in the rise.
• Knee length pencil skirts in denim and thick cottons.
• 80’s “membership jackets”, but fabulous this time around. They’re fitted, tailored, sometimes belted and not bomber-shaped like they were 25 years ago – a modern day military look.
• “Safari” inspired styling on dresses, skirts and jackets.
• Belted trench coats in every colour and fabrication.
• Fitted biker jackets in black and cream
• Trapeze jackets
• Belted jackets to the hip were just as popular as trapeze and baby doll styles.
• Billowing soft tunics with wait cinching belts
• See through soft blouses either tucked into high-waisted pants or left un-tucked and cinched in at the waist with a belt.
• Voluminous short shift dresses and waist-focusing fit-and-flare ‘50’s dresses
• Soft printed ankle length maxi dresses

Shoes:

• 80’s inspired ballet flats (the pointy-toed kind with uniform circular cutouts patterned into leather or plastic)
• ballet flats with ankle straps
• Heels with “T-strap” detailing
• Floral printed pumps
• Gladiator sandals
• Wedges
• Converse sneakers in canvas and patent

I didn’t see wide-legged pants, colour blocked shoes, 50’s full skirts, acid wash jeans, shoulder pads or preppy blazers. But these trends might follow in the next few months. I’m particularly excited about the new season’s bright colours, gingham prints, military inspired styling, higher rises, biker influences, soft blouses, belted jackets, tunics, waist-focusing dresses, patent Converse sneakers and 80’s inspired ballet flats. Which Spring trends get you excited?

Ballet flats that are characteristic of the season: circular cutout, floral and ankle strapped. The circular cutout ballet flats in Spain were less sporty and generally more retro 80’s looking than this Michael Kors style. I swear I had a plastic fuchsia pair as a teeny bopper and can scarcely believe that I bought a virtually identical cream pair in leather a few days ago.

I regard Spain to be the leader in fashion retail because it is home to Inditex, one of the largest fashion distributors in the world and the holding company for eight different chain stores, of which Zara is the biggest and best known. The others are Stradivarius, Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Bershka, Oysho, Zara Home and Kiddy’s Class. Inditex’s 3700-odd stores are represented in a whopping 68 different counties. Most of the merchandise available in these stores is made in Spain – not China.

What impresses me most about Inditex chains is the affordability of their highly creative, sophisticated and current designs. Each chain focuses on a niche market and age group, with levels of quality appropriate to the target market. But even their higher end Massimo Dutti store is more affordable than Banana Republic. I am convinced that this helps to raise the style quotient in Europe. It’s easier to look good when there are gorgeously stylish clothes and shoes at thrifty prices around every corner.

This is what I miss in America. You can absolutely get phenomenal clothes and shoes in the US at fabulous boutiques and department stores, but it is usually expensive. There is no American equivalent to Spain’s Zara, Sweden’s H&M, Britain’s French Connection, France’s Promod or Holland’s Mexx. Banana Republic probably comes closest, but its fashion has lacked flair recently and isn’t cheap unless you purchase on sale.

I hope that Spain continues to spread it’s gloriously affordable and fabulously wearable fashion all over America. Then we too can enjoy eye-catching boutique looks at inexpensive mainstream prices.

Zara in Paris.

When a model looks fab in an ankle length skirt, chances are high she’s almost six foot tall. Women of average height and shorter somehow look as if they have been swallowed up by the skirt. This is not a flattering look.

Skirt lengths around the knee tend to work for all body types. Visually, a hemline that cuts the legs somewhere in the middle is where your legs will look their longest and slimmest. Extra-petite women tend to look better with their hemlines raised a little shorter. If you do prefer to go longer, a structured skirt to the mid-calf with a fab pair of shoes or boots can also look great.

Ankle length is a much better look when it comes to dresses that create an unbroken line from head to toe. You’ll see ever-so-petite Eva Longoria sport a long dress on the red carpet with style. National costumes like the Indian Sari or Malaysian Sarong work on petite, small framed women because they look more like dresses than the separates that they are.

For more on this topic, join the discussion in the YLF forum.

European style is distinctive and you’ll notice its flavour as soon as you set foot on Euro soil. I’m in beautiful Barcelona, where men and women are generally well turned out, and I love it. While it’s the Parisians that lead haute couture, and the Londoners that lead prêt-a-porter; it’s arguably the Spaniards that lead fashion retail. Spain is home to Zara, one of the most successful clothing retail chains.

In true urban Euro style, the number one uniform on the streets of Barcelona across all age groups and body types is jeans or pants tucked into flat knee-high boots with either a belted knitted tunic or shorter piece of tailored knitwear. The look is finished off with coat, scarf and fab sling bag. Practical, put together and stylish. The same ensemble with flat ankle boots or fashion sneakers is the next most popular choice and to my delight there are loads of women wearing good old Converse. It’s Winter, so ballet flats are few and far between. The highest heels you’ll see on the streets are two inches, but that’s rare too. People in Barcelona commute on foot so it’s all about stylish flats and dressing in layers. The skirt-and-boots look isn’t as popular as it was in London, but streamlined knee-length puffer jackets, cropped leather biker styles and urban boots are a favourite and look great.

I chose not to bring my riding boots, but I’m right at home during the day in dark straight leg jeans, short, faux fur trimmed, belted leather jacket, a variety of fitted turtle necks and scarves, comfy cream and black Converse and black, biker sling bag. My heeled, cream patent ankle boots, dressy tops, cobalt coat and clutch come out at night. Easy!